Neil Peterson's Personal Blog

It is a low-tech, high-volume service that has Western business management experts flocking to the crowded, dusty streets of Mumbai. Each weekday, the Tiffin delivery network provides hot, home-cooked meals to a growing population of office workers in India’s financial capital. From the city’s outer suburbs to the bustling downtown core, the small, aluminum boxes are transported, sorted and delivered – to over 200,000 customers, for less than $10 per month. No easy feat – and one made all the more remarkable by the statistics. For every 6 million deliveries, there is – on average – only one misplaced meal. It’s this honed precision that is drawing worldwide attention from business schools, financial media outlets, and curious CEO’s– but there’s more to Tiffin that just great numbers.

The network itself is a long-standing cultural tradition,created in 1880 while the country was still under British rule. Many British residents, commuting into the city, weren’t interested in consuming the local fare, while Indian citizens weren’t able to afford the daily cost of lunchtime dining. So Tiffin, old English for light lunch, was born – providing a welcomed, low-cost service for finicky eaters, or – as is more often the case today – ensuring that those with strict religious dietary beliefs can enjoy a well-prepared meal, worry-free. Each day, a courier would collect prepared meals from the customer’s home for lunchtime delivery at their workplace. It was a unique solution that has now become part of the city’s daily heartbeat – with a customer base that continues to expand between 5 – 10% annually.

Mumbai Lunch on Wheels

The daily delivery – and precision – of the network relies on a small army of mostly-illiterate, uneducated peasants from the country’s Pune region, calleddabbawallas. Each morning, the 5,000 dabbawallas are dispatched on their routes via bicycle, visiting each customer’s home to pick up their food-laden tiffin. The tiffins (alternatively, called dabbas) are then transported to the local train station, where they are divided up according to the painted symbols adorning the containers. The color-coded system acts as an indicator of precise destination – to the building – and recipient, and as a marker of where the emptied box will be delivered after lunch. On an average day, each tiffin is re-sorted at various points on the route up to 4 times before delivery – and then again as the box is returned to its original destination later in the afternoon.

The success of the entire enterprise rests squarely on the shoulders of the dabbawallas – and it is a responsibility they approach with utmost seriousness. Each tiffin must be picked up, sorted, transported and delivered according to a highly precise schedule – while contending with inclement weather, bustling city streets, and strict train schedules. With little exception, dabbawallas are chosen if they have a friend or relative who is already in the service to ensure than new hires are trust-worthy and capable of meeting the substantial requirements of the job. Additionally, a new dabbawalla must also contribute a small sum to pay for two bicycles, a transport crate and their uniform and cap.

For over a century, the Tiffin network’s tried and tested low-tech methods have provided hot meals to the office workers of Mumbai with unmatched accuracy. Relying on the abilities and dedication of its couriers, it is a highly-choreographed, immaculately precise system. And with their track record, it’s no wonder that the Western world is finally taking notes.

‘Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.’- John Wesley

It is a fitting maxim for America’s first billionaire and the founder of one of the country’s oldest major philanthropic organizations, theRockefeller Foundation. Industrialist, robber baron, monopolist or mankind’s greatest benefactor – history has not yet passed its verdict on Standard Oil founderJohn D. Rockefeller. However, his legacy remains one that has inspired countless others in generations since – not the least of which is a new flock of the wealthy elite who are following his footsteps. ‘Big Business’ is not often a phrase used with kindness, but today’s industry leaders are adopting his generous spirit in providing for the future – and proving that corporate giving and compassion are not mutually exclusive.

Inspired by the writings of Andrew Carnegie, Rockefeller set the wheels in motion for what is today one of the most well-respected and influential private foundations in the world. Founded in 1913 in New York State, the Foundation’s mission was ‘to promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world.’ In the near-century since its inception, more than $14 billion has been awarded to grantees around the world – ushering in extraordinary advances in medical science, education, and public health initiatives.

Judith Rodin and Judy Woodruff on Bloomberg TV

Education was a crucial focus of the Foundation, in support of their belief that every person – regardless of ‘race, sex or creed’ – has the right to a quality education. (Prior to the Foundation, Rockefeller’s General Education Board was instrumental in supporting black schools in the American South – and for providing the funding necessary to establish Spelman College, an institute of higher-learning for African-American women in Atlanta.) Large contributions were also awarded to Harvard, Yale and Johns Hopkins University, which used the funds to form the world’s first School of Hygiene and Public Health.

The Foundation’s support of the American medical research community helped to establish the country as a world leader in the field – but their influence, and financial backing, would also provide support for other countries as well. Over $25 million in grants were used to build public health schools in 21 countries and provide fellowships for scholars to pursue post-doctoral studies at the world’s leading institutions. Furthering their commitment to public health, the Foundation initiated a globe-spanning virus research program in 1950, resulting in significant advancements in treatments and the identification of hundreds of previously-unknown viruses.

For nearly a hundred years, theFoundation has provided vital funding to scholars, researchers, educators, artists, and others– affecting the lives of millions across generations. And while their work continues with the same dedication and focus, there are now others who are heeding the Rockefeller call to service – using their enormous wealth to initiate change on every level. Upon his death, Warren Buffett has pledged the majority of his fortune to charitable organizations. CNN’s Ted Turner gifted $1 billion to the United Nations. And the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, established by the Microsoft founder, has pledged (in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation) $150 million to fight hunger in Africa through the development of improved agricultural practices. It is an extraordinary legacy, at any price.

Before oil, gas, coal, hydroelectric and nuclear power – there was wind. It advanced the spread of civilization – by powering the sailing vessels of the earliest explorers and once settled, enabling them to efficiently irrigate their fields and mill their harvests. To our ancestors, wind must have appeared to be a coy mistress – capable of progressing our terrestrial mastery of the natural world, or with little warning, able to completely wipe all traces of our work off the land. Thousands of years after our first attempts at harnessing earth’s most available source of power, it is no small surprise that we still remain in awe of its strength and unsure of how – or even if – we can appropriate this natural resource to meet our global population’s growing hunger for energy.

Make no mistake – the economic and efficient utilization ofwind powercould be a watershed moment for the renewable energies industry. It is abundant, potent, clean, emits no harmful greenhouse gases – and is readily available to anyone who has the technological know-how to access it. And therein lies the catch. Capturing the wind is a catch-22 of staggering proportions. We know where it is and how strong it is – but as yet, no one has created a truly feasible solution that will bring the power up there, down here. At least, not to the extent we would need to replace our centuries-old reliance on fossil fuels. Not yet, anyway.

New Wind Turbine Design

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people who are willing to try.Wind Energy Systems Technology (WEST)is a Texas-based company that retrofits decommissioned offshore oil platforms into wind farms. Covering nearly 85,000 acres off the coast of Galveston, WEST takes advantages of the Gulf Coast region’s powerful ocean wind currents which blow the strongest during the hottest hours of the day. (Energy demand – and therefore energy prices, are at their peak at the same times.) Fitted with gigantic turbines, the platforms within the wind farm could generate enough electricity to power 45,000 homes. The utilization of existing infrastructure enables WEST to keep their overhead costs low – a key challenge facing many of their new-energy peers.

For other companies, the renewable future requires going up – way up. Although mid-desert wind farms in California and a growing number of offshore farms are able to generate modest amounts of electricity, there is still a greater source of power currently untapped – high-altitude winds. Atmospheric research has shown that at altitudes between 1,600 and 40,000 feet there is enough energy to potentially power the globe. Unlike the winds encountered at sea level, high-altitude winds are much stronger, energy dense and less prone to fluctuations. Several kite-like prototypes have been developed that would transmit the electricity to the earth by way of a tether, but there are still significant challenges to face before they become airborne. Most importantly, our current electrical grid is unequipped to handle the pressures of an all-wind energy source – with fluctuating spans of high-wattage blasts, followed by minutes, or even hours, of dead calm.

Despite it’s promise, wind power is not yet the silver bullet its proponents make it out to be. Significant investments in upgrading infrastructure and in developing more efficient technologies to harness its force will be the deciding factors in whether or not this renewable energy source will power the homes of tomorrow. But with the necessary technological advancements and the adoption of other sustainable energy practices,we may yet realize the power of the wind.

Berkshire Hathaway CEOWarren Buffettis buying into the future, by investing in the past – but don’t confuse his latest acquisition for an eccentric billionaire’s bid on nostalgia. There’s more going on here than meets the eye. Buffett, one of the world’s most successful investors, isn’t an eccentric – having proven his near-uncanny financial savvy even in the midst of an ongoing, worldwide recession. While it may seem counter-intuitive on the surface, Berkshire’s new (as of early November) ownership of railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI) could ignite renewed investor confidence in the American economy – and jump-start a renaissance of one of the country’s most historic icons.

But it’s not all philanthropy – railroads may be an eco-responsible solution to a potential energy crisis, but the purchase of BNI is a sound business maneuver as well. Much like Buffet, BNI has proven their resilience in a down market – reducing labor costs and total expenses (cut by nearly 1/3 in the last quarter) as the demand for freight dropped, while simultaneously investing in developing new technologies to improve the speed and efficiency of their fleet. These conservative management tactics have carried the company through the recession with a minimum of damage, putting them at an advantage when the economy rebounds.

“Never invest in a company you don’t understand.”- Warren Buffett

For most mid-Western residents, the railroad is as much a part of everyday life as the miles upon miles of farm land. From the Union Pacific headquarters in Omaha, to the busy freight depots of St. Louis and Chicago, it’s hard to get anywhere without crossing the tracks. Given the visibility, it’s only a wonder that this type of large-scale investment hasn’t happened sooner (something that even Buffett finds puzzling). Rail may not have the market appeal of new tech start-ups or celebrity-endorsed automobiles, but Berkshire Hathaway isn’t interested in a flash in the pan. Buffett predicts steady growth over decades, not years – an example of his belief in stable, reliable long-term investments. By ‘buying in the trough’, Buffett is showing confidence in the future of the country’s economy – a move that will hopefully inspire other investors that the worst recession in recent memory is finally coming to an end.